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I’m writing this as I watch the unofficial first day of coverage of the Winter Olympics, so please bare with me, I’m a bit excited.

I wanted on the eve (or day of depending on where you are and when you read this) of National Pizza Day, for this story to be inspiring, remarkable, heartwarming, and all those other superlatives and blessings.

When talking about Frank’s Pizza & Pasta in the Northeast Baltimore neighborhood of Hamilton, or is it Overlea? Well it’s Baltimore and it’s an institution that’s been around for over 30 years. That to me is worthy of a medal itself.

I had actually intended on doing a story nearly two years ago but something told me the timing wasn’t right. If I’m recalling correctly, my pictures looked underwhelming, or maybe some universal force told me it wasn’t time. Some things can’t be explained nor need an explanation.

All roads brought me here this week. Actually that’s exactly what happened. Yesterday I drove passed Frank’s later in the evening, with the thinking that I need to get back here. And while I was on my way home, if the situation presented itself, I know I’d be back again soon. Literally, less than 24 hours later… And the rest is well…

My expectations had been raised after hearing about their pizza, from a couple peoples’ opinions that I respect immensely. And it’s all about your own opinion, your own beliefs, experience, and all that good stuff. But I can’t help but admit that I had high hopes.

If we’re using Olympic terms, the technical scores may be a bit low, or the qualification times may be enough to make the next round but I don’t know. There are some deductions and maybe some penalties. There may need to be a redo.

What does this all mean? I’ll get to the point. I wanted to love it but I can’t say that. I want to love every pizza and every experience, but it’s not always going be that way. While it’s easy to find positives (and there are), the faults do stand out.

I got three slices, and how perfect was this selection. I might have stopped by right after the lunch rush since a lot of slices were bunched together, and the pickings were minimal. No problem at all, I still got a cheese slice, a meat lover’s, and the Mediterranean, which looked like it just came out of the oven.

I’ll get my critiques out of the way first. The cheese, and meat lover’s looked much better displayed on trays beforehand than how they looked after they were heated. Maybe my eyes were deceiving me but the plain cheese looked like it shrank.

You can also see that they reheated these slices a little too long. You can see the burnt parts, especially in the meat lover’s, that the crust actually fell apart where it was charred. Now there’s good charring and then there’s this. It wouldn’t have mattered though, as neither slice did much for me. The cheese felt flat and something just didn’t taste right. Maybe there wasn’t enough? Maybe it was out there too long. I don’t know.

The meat lover’s is not one I would ordinary try anyways, but I figured why not. This one I could only take one or two bites of before I had enough. It was burnt and it was a little too hearty for me, but that’s more of a personal opinion as well. I like more of a….

And this brings me to the Mediterranean. This was the gem, or the crown jewel if you will, of the slices. Maybe the fact that it just came out hot and fresh had a lot to do with it. The toppings were exquisite and the pesto was tremendous. I think I got some magnificent olive oil too. All the toppings complemented each other perfectly. It’ll make me want come back. All this on top of a white pizza, is masterful.

And I will. I think this place is capable of so much. It wouldn’t be around so long if it hadn’t, even with changing times and tastes.

That’s the most in depth I’ve been about pizza in some time. I usually look for all the positives and situations related to everything outside of the food itself, as well. And I still did here. The staff is great, it’s very old school and very authentic in terms of service and appealing to a loyal clientele that serves a part of Baltimore you don’t always hear about, or think to go to.

All I know is that it won’t be another few years until I’m back. If time allows, we shall do this again soon. I know I say that a lot, but we shall do this again soon.

Ever since I set foot into my first Wegmans many years ago (that feels weird to say), the love affair has remained and grown infinitely. What’s not to love?

If you’ve ever visited one (a location hopefully near you can be found here) you know the possibilities of happiness are endless. You know it’s more than just a grocery store. It’s a source of joy, peace, harmony, and more food than you know what to do with.

And speaking of such inspiration, while I was at my local Wegmans recently, I felt like the time was right to try a couple of their frozen pizzas.

I’m not that highly critical of pizza. It’s not that serious. I like to have fun with this, and that’s truly the whole point of doing this, or hopefully most of what you and I do. My criteria for grading frozen pizzas might be different than when I get a pie or slice from a slightly upscale or fine dining establishment. But the constant is that as long as the pizza tastes good and comes from a place of soul and feeling, I know it was prepared with the best of intentions.

This is why I feel it’s ok to be critical when a pizza may not live up to mine or your expectations. And that’s what we have here. One pizza is tremendous, the other leaves much to be desired.

I’ll begin with the latter.

The Buffalo Chicken was disappointing. For all how it appears on the box, it doesn’t translate to anything positive after the fact.

My first concern was how little chicken you actually see on the pizza itself. But I’m not going to judge it on its cover or unwrapped before even heating. But after the fact was really missing so much.

Whatever ranch and buffalo sauce I’m supposed to be tasting, I ain’t getting. And while I secretly hoped some more pieces of chicken would appear, that was not the case. The mix of mozzarella, white cheddar, and gorgonzola cheeses were non existent. It’s not that they weren’t there, it’s just that they didn’t seem to taste like any of the aforementioned cheeses. It just seemed like mozzarella, bad sauce, and some poorly prepared white meat chicken. The crust is really good, as is in the..

The Southwest Style is the pie you want to get. This is the complete opposite of what I wrote above. This mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese is how you do it. The pieces of chicken are light years ahead of the chicken in the previous pie.

The taco sauce layered on top of the pizza is distinct yet it’s not invasive to anything else on the pizza. That’s an important detail when it comes to a pie like this. The peppers and onions really add a nice charm to a pie that you might overlook or not even find to your liking.

That’s what makes this pizza experience so fun. If you asked me, I would’ve thought the Buffalo Chicken would be the pizza to look forward to going in. My pleasant of all surprises is how great the Southwest Style is. It’s fantastic.

With their frozen pies at $4 per pizza, it’s worth giving a look, and you can get a couple of meals out of it. In a world where we’re always looking to save money, that’s a great deal.

Wegmans is always going to be a great deal, no matter how you look at it. Not everything is going to be perfect but when it is, it makes everything that much better.

The amount of pizzas and appetizing entrees in general to try is unlimited and unpredictable. This place makes me so happy and even if I’m not writing about it, I’m here multiple times a week.

If and when the opportunity presents itself, I’ll try a couple more pizzas. This might call for a bonus post outside of a Friday, if I find the time.

I’m not sure what to make of this. I took the title off of the window display of this weeks recap, Piazza 27. Until three days ago I hadn’t heard a thing about it. But you know how thing are, you hear about an entity once, you constantly hear about it as it gains momentum in your head, in your life, and within the universe and atmosphere around you.

But the things I’ve been hearing about Piazza 27 are on the level of life changing, astounding, and out of body, even more so out of this world.

Locals in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore (this is still one of my favorites) have been clamoring for a pizza place with simple New York Style slices to either eat in or carry out. It’s one of those things that I’m proclaiming based on observation and based on the word-of-mouth momentum I alluded to in the previous paragraph. I understand that.

Mt. Vernon is a neighborhood full of character, amazing architecture, great shops, bars, and restaurants of all nationalities and styles, but sometimes you just a simple slice of pizza with little wait time. And this is what Piazza 27 is providing to locals, and students from nearby universities and institutions.

For that and among many other reasons is why I think people love this place so much. It’s a hidden them that’s going to explode, whether it’s because of this blog or not, is another thing. But I’m going to show my support because local business with a good energy, a good aura, and friendly people behind the counter (and they were friendly for sure) is always worthy of attention and admiration. We don’t give enough of it. We can never give enough. It’s just the way it is.

But with that being said, how was the pizza?

I honestly felt influenced by the incredible reviews of this place on their Facebook page and other sites (they don’t have a website yet, which I actually find awesome) that is may have been hard to be practical in my own critiques.

I’ve been guilty in the past of buying into the dogma of a place, and going against my own genuine opinion, because so many other people have lauded the place to the point of annoyance. And the counter to that would be I would find a place less than stellar in comparison to the reviews, because it was either out of spite or because I was sick of hearing about it.

The fact that I’ve already said all this would lend you to believe that my opinion might still not be own but headed towards a confirmation bias one way or another.

Well I’m going to do my best to say how I truly feel, but with the suggestion that you should try this place yourself if you live in and around Baltimore, Mt. Vernon, or plan on visiting.

I purchased 4 slices with the total being only about $13. If you do the math, this is a deal, a bargain, and this will get you two lunches worth at least. Yes I made this into multiple meals. I can’t eat this all at once, that would be crazy, or would it? Hmmm…

The friendly face behind the counter was just that. She could not have been more kind in explaining every slice to me. That’s the stuff that’ll make people keep coming back, and they’ve been coming back alright, or so I heard.

For this final pizza post of 2017, the four slices I purchased were cheese, white with veggie, chicken bacon ranch, and chicken bacon pesto. That last one, I know I know.. It’s different alright.

I want to be honest here. All the slices were really good to great. I completely understand why people are raving about this. The crust, the dough, the sauce, and the way it was heated were great on some slices, and better on the others.

But I also want to understand where folks are coming from. I think if the pizza quality was a tad lower, I sense a lot of people would still be thinking highly of this place. It’s just a thought. There was a lack and this place filled it, but it filled it and then some. The pizza is terrific.

Yet some are calling it the best pizza in Baltimore, the best New York pizza they’ve ever had outside of New York, and some have said it’s the best pizza every. This isn’t hyperbole, reviews are here & here saying similar things. There’s local community sites sharing that same sentiment.

I can’t say it’s the best pizza, but that’s not a fair thing to say anyways. It’s great pizza. The cheese and chicken bacon pesto were the two favorites of mine. And you know you can tell what’s a good pizza place if their cheese slice is good, then it’s going to be the gateway to other tremendous pizzas.

I’ve always loved pesto but this is up there with the best of the best pesto. And how it doesn’t clash with the the bacon is a pleasant surprise.

That’s not to say that the other two slices weren’t great. They were delicious. The white is one of the better whites I’ve had, and the veggies didn’t get in the way like some places might. It complemented the white slice so well you could easily taste the ricotta, garlic, and olive oil.

I got a kick out of walking out of the place with this big to-go box in my hand. Based on how I was feeling and the location, it only seemed fitting.

These slices also tasted like brand new a day later. And that’s the best judge of a place. I think these could last a few days and still taste great. Easy to say about any decent leftover pizza, but there is an aura about this place and these slices.

I’d say definitely go here. There’s something going on alright. Best pizza ever? Not to me, but I’m just one opinion. It’s great pizza at a great price, at what seems to be the ideal location. A few businesses have been unsuccessful since I’ve been in the area, but I think that’s over now. I know that’s over now. We have liftoff.

We have a winner here in Piazza 27, and once they gain even more momentum, all bets are off.

You know, the first time I set food into R. House in the up-and-coming (eek!) Remington neighborhood in Baltimore, I thought was wonderful. On the outside looking it, I could see why people could sense stuffy, hipster, unapproachable, and uninviting. Now everyone has an opinion, and I wouldn’t question why folks would think that way. I imagine that I might have thought that way too, initially.

But no, I’ve had fantastic culinary experiences, with friends or on my own, at stall that myself and many others would never had a chance to feast on. I’m writing this on Thanksgiving Day, so I’m feeling a little more thankful than usual. R. House is a place to be thankful for…

However, for months, people were asking where is the pizza?

You have food from all over the globe, yet no pizza. I was asking too. I wanted something a little different to write about. I had a feeling something special was coming…

…And I was right…

Molina Pizze & Polpette,which has been barely open a month, is the perfect complement to everything else in the R. House family, or space if you will. It feels like a family of establishments that all work together to serve us some awesome eats and something out of the ordinary.

I’ll save the other places I’ve dined at for another time, or maybe never haha.. But I will review all five of the pizzas they’re serving as of this write up.

This was done over two visits, and the results were different, but not in the way you would think. I’ll just say a few of the pizzas stood out above the others, but everything was good to great. I may lump a few of these slices together, but here goes.

Visit #1 :

First, and of course, is the Raz. This is their cheese, and for this and the next slice is the crunchier style I would have expected. The cheese pizza itself was fantastic. The basil, for its appearance and its flavor, put this one over significantly. Great pizza.

The Terra is their vegan pie. I forgot that the pesto was lemon basil. Basil is great isn’t it? I could have had this pesto on a piece of bread all by its lonesome and would have been happy. Sounds like a great idea. The veggies all tasted so fresh and blended with this pie so well. And I love when places throw on that arugula that you can’t see anything else. The cashew ricotta is as incredible as it sounds. Oh my goodness right? The texture, the look, and everything. This is not a pie for everyone, but it’s a pie for everyone.

The most recent visit made had the exactly comforting crust, that you may find traditionally at other pizzerias. But why complain? It’s ‘officially’ the holidays and we’re going to be eating this kind of bread, dough, and crust frequently if you’re headed to a party (or ten+) near you.

The Calabria is a slight deviation from the Raz, but with protein, and mmm Chili Oil? Is that was that distinct taste was?

The prosciutto on the Parma made this one fun too. If it wasn’t for that the arugula would take over everything. Did I mention how much I love that? And I love how they’re using lemon as a topping. Here they use lemon juice.

My favorite (which could change instantaneously) is the Henrietta. It contains some of my most valued vegetables. I adore spinach, mushrooms and that gorgonzola is a trifecta of tremendous proportions. And having shallots on a pizza can be a challenge. It can backfire, but not here. Again, I’ve had balsamic glaze on a pie which lead to overkill and be too runny or unnatural. This was natural.

Have I touted this place enough?

Even if you’re not into pizza, they have other things on their menu, which I would love to try sometime. The prices may put off some, but I think they’re justified.

I like what Molina is all about. Actually I love what they’re all about.

When I told a dear friend yesterday that I would be writing about Amy’s Kitchen Pizza this week, she was so excited and so happy. She sounded happy for me too. It’s because her and her husband were the ones who introduced me to their pizzas a few years ago.

I must thank them so much. Even though Amy’s is now all over the place, and gluten and vegan pizza and food alternatives are all over the place. They still get credit for opening my eyes and expanding my food horizons.

Personally for me, I can’t keep eating all this pizza at this rate. I can’t speak for anyone else. My stomach has gotten some ill affects over the past couple of years with all this exposure to cheese, bread, and sauce. I’d say the first two have really done a number on me. Thankfully, I have pizza to share with friends, share with family, give it to those in need, or save it for later. Sometimes I feel I have no choice but to let it go to waste. But I try to limit that if at all possible.

I had every intent of doing a couple of frozen pies this week. The weather has been gloomy, rainy, and starting to feel more like fall, here in Maryland. This leads to days where you don’t want to cook, don’t want to leave the house, and don’t want to do anything.

Instead of grabbing some standard pies (here is my frozen za history), I felt inspired to go the gluten free route. Simple eating doesn’t have to be unhealthy, yet can still be timely.

So when I went my local supermarket yesterday, I perused the gluten free pizza aisle and was reminded of Amy’s. I’ve had other brands thanks to my friends, but Amy’s was the first. And you’ve got to give love to what got you here and what resonates the most.

I deliberately went with rice crust based pies for both. I love the way it tastes and just wanted a reminder of how it compares to your standard wheat crusts. It’s a more than viable alternative to those with gluten allergies.

First up is the Cheese. It’s exactly what you want from a cheese pizza, with the different crust. I was in a good mood throughout the pizza prepping process (I know, so challenging, heat and serve haha), so I just had this feeling these pies would turn out great.

The way the cheese melted into the crust was gorgeous. I don’t know if pictures will do this thing justice. I cut them up into slices, and while I enjoyed this, I will definitely be saving some for seconds. That rice crust is fantastic. I want more of this in my life. And that house-made tomato sauce, tastes just like home.

Speaking of wanting more, I had to do two of these.

The Gluten Free and Dairy Free Pesto warmed my heart. The way this thing melted from pre heat to afterwards was such a joy. I almost forgot this was dairy free. As much as I loved the cheese, this was one was just that masterful. I would be lying if I didn’t say it was the house-made pesto (my love for pesto can be found here) that did it. It’s tremendous, but so are these tomatoes. I love the broccoli too, but those tomatoes sealed the deal for me. I’m a bigger fan than ever.

And yes I felt much better after having these pies than anything I’ve had recently.

And at $8-10, you’re getting a deal for these pizzas.

Since they have so many pizza pies to try, I hope to do this again. As the weather gets colder, there may be more opportunities to try some for frozen pizzas, which should not be discounted. I’ve had pizzas from the frozen aisle that match or surpassed many pizzas I’ve had at pizzerias.

More importantly, I like what Amy’s is about. Family owned, independent, community based, and autonomous are the best kinds of stories.

You don’t have to find be gluten or dairy free to enjoy what Amy’s has to offer. I’m all for trying different foods, with different ingredients and especially wholesome ones made from love. There’s a soul behind this and if you’ve had any of their foods or pizzas, then you know what I’m talking about.

Sometimes you just know when something comes from a place that’s bigger than us.

I look forward to the next opportunity to try something about from Amy’s, and maybe share it with you here.

I owe all this one to a dear friend who I visited this past June in St. Petersburg, FL. I visited many friends, many amazing places, and experienced many awesome things. For that I’m grateful to everyone who welcomed me and made me feel like home. And it certainly did.

This vacation was somewhat bookended my some sight seeing in Tampa. While it’s always fun playing tourist, it’s always a pleasure when a friend looks up pizzerias in the vicinity, to try, and for the sake of this blog. If it wasn’t for my friend’s insistence this post would never see the light of day.

As many of us do on a trip, we over indulge, we like the finer things in life, and we should always strive for those finer things. With that said, I had five massive slices.

I mean who knows when I’ll be back here? I have every intention of doing so, but still, you never know. And before you ask, no I did not eat everything. I essentially ate a little bit of each, and then some more, and then some more. And hopefully the significant amount that was saved was left for the person it was intended for. I ask and I still don’t think I remember how that turned out. Alright enough of that.

How I review is this going to be instinctive yet going with the flow as I write this. That might mean the same thing, I’m not quite sure right now.

First, let me say that the dough on these pies is tremendous. For some it stood out with much more passion than others.

Eddie & Sam’s imports water from New York to make this as authentic as it possibly can. I understand that the elements of time, space, and travel may not make this exactly New York Style. And being in another state may pay a part in that. But to be honest, I haven’t been to New York in quite some time. I forgot how their pizza tasted. I just remember some places being great, some being drab, and some everywhere in between.

We’ve all been to places that claim NY Style, only to be disappointed or accept the fact that it’s just pizza, sometimes good, but nothing memorable.

It’s been three months and I still think about these slices. A lot has to do with being a new city, an unfamiliar city, an unpredictability of where this day was going, and being around great company.

Here are the five I ordered: 1) Cheese, 2) Blanca aka White, 3) Buffalo Chicken, 4) Chicken Bacon Ranch, and 5) Lasagna. I realize now that vegetables are missing in this discussion. I must have been in the mood for some protein. This also leaves the door wide open for another visit and post sometime.

The cheese and buffalo chicken were the two main stand outs for me. And if you judge a place by its cheese, this place is doing things perfectly.

But it was the dough on the buffalo chicken that stood apart from all the other slices. And yes while they overloaded all these stunning pieces of chicken on this pie, the softness of the dough mixed in with periodic crispy bites made this comfort food to perfection.

These were my two favorite slices by far.

The lasagna was loaded with flavors but maybe I was expecting something more. While still really good, I wanted a little more wow.

The Blanca, while good, still is not what I had come to expect from a white slice. I’ve mentioned this numerous times before, and maybe I need to lower expectations. Maybe my tastes keep evolving but I don’t remember the last time a white pizza blew me away or was at least great. This came close but not quite what I was looking for.

The Chicken Bacon ranch was my least favorite of the bunch. But it does get credit for having real pieces of breaded chicken and genuine pieces of bacon. In many instances the slices served by many pizzerias will only include diced pieces of chicken and bacon bits. That’s defeatist and in a way misleading to a pizza patron. For presentation, Eddie & Sam’s get a lot of credit.

Overall, this was a wonderful, memorable, and joyous experience. Another thing, these pizza slices vary in price. I think for my five I spent around $25. It sounds pricey but an experience like this was invaluable and worth its weight in pizza, and in everything else.

And while the exterior feels welcoming yet intimidating all at once (depending on your point of view), there’s room for everyone and the staff was working hard and were extremely friendly. I sense many of the folks took pride in the pizzas they were creating, and aimed to make them the best they could possibly be.

That’s all you can ask for.

Well my friend did order this work of art. What else needs to be said?

I wanted to love everything Anthony’s N.Y. Pizza & Pasta House. It wasn’t quite everything I hoped it would be. But after thinking about it I don’t know what I was hoping for exactly then and now. I wanted good pizza and there was some of that. But that little extra oomph wasn’t there. And I really thought it would happen.

The beautiful thing is pizza is everywhere and it will always be everywhere. In every town, every city, and every neighborhood there’s going to be some semblance of a pizza parlor, pizzeria, or a restaurant. It makes my day discover a new one in a town I don’t always frequent, Bowie, MD.

What I’ve found fascinating is in talking to close friends who live in proximity have never heard of this place. In doing further research there is a similar sentiment. Maybe the location isn’t ideal or noticeable immediately. To me it’s perfect.

However, I wouldn’t say this is in the most folksy or most approachable part of town. Where that is in Bowie I don’t know, but when I see a pizza place, in particular, one with slices to go, the small town and romanticizing of a happy place and folksy folks (while a more-than-welcomed bonus) is not always going to be there. And that’s ok. I think.

I had come to find out that owner of this and the Clarksville (I’ll get to that later) locations are from New York, which means the N.Y. Style is actually more authentic and since than many of these places that say N.Y. Style as a cliche and the slices are bland and taste worse because they portray themselves as something they’re not.

So expectations were set a little higher. I didn’t expect this to be just like New York Pizza. To be honest, I could barely count on two hands how many times I’ve had N.Y. Style and it’s different. But you don’t have to be an expert to know the difference. There is an aura about it. There’s so many elements that make a pizza a pizza. And for with New York like any city, there is an aura about it.

Just like any other food, it’s going to be best served in the city or country of origin.

It could be the water, the universe, or just being there in that moment that makes it what it is.

And just because the location is different means the pizza will be a cheap imitation. It doesn’t necessarily have to match the authenticity of said location, but it can be great and it can even be a masterpiece.

I wanted to love the three slices I ordered. I don’t always feel like that about places. But this one had something else going for it I can’t put into words. That could be once again romanticizing the situation and only hoping for the best. Luckily, one slice really stood above all else. Maybe the title gave it away. I’ll save that for that.

First up was the Chicken and Spinach White with balsamic glaze. I’ve said it before that certain pizzas have that whole doesn’t equal the sum of its parts situation. This one also fits that bill.

This white pizza looked spectacular. And you’re going to get a theme from this and the next slice. It’s not a case of judging a book by its cover. But in the reverse sense. This had all the makings of an amazing pizza but something didn’t completely work.

I think there was too much going on. I never got a taste of the balsamic. And the cheese also seemed to vanish. The spinach was great. I enjoyed picking pieces of spinach off my slice and enjoyed them on their own. But that chicken was phenomenal. I would gladly eat pile of these blackened pieces of chicken on their own, or with a spinach salad. I mean it. The chicken was spectacular. I think the main take from this was the pizza crust didn’t work here. I think if the crust had more of that crunch you’d expect I might be telling a different story. But it didn’t necessarily need to be NY Style. Something was just off. This was ordered right at lunch time so the pizza was fresh. But something fell short.

The same goes for the Buffalo Chicken. It looked so beautiful. The celery was fantastic as was the breaded buffalo chicken. What went wrong for me was the blue cheese. It was bit too heavy for me. And equally as rough was the buffalo sauce. This is something that can easily be remedied. I’ve personally made foods with buffalo sauce and sometimes add a little too much. It happens. I think others will love it but this wasn’t as good as I hoped. Again that crust was the issue.

But…

The cheese. It may look like a standard cheese slice, which is everything right. I don’t know if I planned it that way, but I did eat this one last. And I’ll tell you, you can always judge a place by how good their cheese is. This was fantastic. This is not the best cheese slice I’ve ever hard. And honestly, I don’t remember where that was. But this was tremendous. There is no special reason why this was. And I wouldn’t say this because it’s authentic N.Y. Style. I think there’s a bigger spirit and soulful element here. What that is I don’t know. And maybe I’m not supposed to. Not yet at least.

I don’t often do repeats. And if I do it may be a different location. It makes it exciting to do a compare and contrast.

I’m sentimental to the small town of Clarksville, MD and had no idea there was a second location there. Small business is a beautiful thing and I’m happy to support it. So when I get a chance to visit this will be revisited again.